Sports, holidays, parties

It has been quite a while since I last blogged which is really quite a shame. Following the operation around Easter time that had also meant I couldn't go swimming during the Zanzibar Easter holiday I had also been unable to run for a few months. But by June I was back running again with the Nairobi Expressway Half marathon and then the Lewa half marathon again and regular runs since then - though maybe not as much as 5 times a week nowadays as I have decided to limit the punishment on my knees and hip and also do more alternative forms of exercise for the rest of the body (in particular I am a big fan of Ring Fit Adventure on the Nintendo Switch). Today being a public holiday and with Andrea and the kids already in Germany for the holidays I have had a relaxing day running, walking and eating in Karura Forest.

We also go walking a lot - usually on Saturday's when the kids go horse riding (which they really enjoy and are really getting good at, with cantering and small jumps too), and also with the kids together on Sundays (the kids also have to take the dog for a walk). The short rains in October and November were quite relentless which was good for the country, but they are mostly over now (at least in Nairobi) and now we are into the hottest and driest part of the year for the next few months - it really is wonderful weather.

Though I didn't go on holiday over the August break, we did go away for a few days in Half-term to Kilifi, the place with the private secluded beach that is nice and safe, whilst also having water sports activities - scuba diving, wind surfing, kayaking, and the doughnut (not much sailing this time). We also stopped by Mombasa on the way, including a trip to the Wild Waters waterpark which is pretty decent and worth a half day at, and to the wonderful Bamburi Forest Trails in Haller Park, where aside from the walking/running/cycling paths there is also a Parcours course (it is just very sweaty)!

I have also travelled around a bit for work - to Eldoret for the Devolution Conference, to Mombasa for work, and back to China (a whirlwind trip taking in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen/Dongguan in a week). It is always nice to get back and to try to find some time to pass by some landmarks, hutongs, tourist sites etc and see what is changing (or not). And going with Huawei is normally nice with some great meals and interesting visits to factories, exhibition centers, labs and the like.

Leah had her ninth birthday party, this time at Maji Magic (Maji is water in Swahili) - which is an inflatable adventure playground on a lake with slides, swings and other things. It went very well without any injuries or break downs by anyone. Leah's most exciting aspect of being 9 is that she is one year closer to being 10 when she can scuba dive in the sea. We also went up to Central Kenya with my dad for a weekend to go rafting again, this time also doing some fun mountain biking nearby (and do a "moonlight walk" that left late and was mostly in the pitch black....).

Otherwise there have been the usual activities at School (fireworks night, pantomime, Christmas fair) and this year we entered Lucy in a few competitions at the Shaggy Dog Show, though unfortunately she didn't win. The kids have continued with their piano and drums, and for Hannah, regular Chinese lessons. They're frequently coming to the office to eat in the Chinese canteen for dinner, and doing well at school (although not so well with their teeth - braces are being made).

We've invested in a pizza BBQ, but of course only used it once; finally banged a lot of nails in to hang pictures up on the walls of the apartment, and had the air conditioning fixed in the car, something that only took an hour, and should have been done years ago. But better late than never. Leah has got into a reading phase (I remember Hannah had one a few years ago too), though that doesn't mean any less interest from her or Hannah in watching TV (or for Leah in particular, playing computer games). Both (especially Hannah) are into using whatsapp to communicate with their friends a lot, but so far not too much social media (though still some youtube or instagram here and there).

Cameroon

The week before last I was in Cameroon, though only for a couple of days, and only in the capital city. I didn't see a lot, but I did not see any minibuses or motorbikes, which was strange. Apparently motorbikes are banned from the city center, and all the minibuses went bankrupt for some reason so the only form of transport is cars and taxis. This means that at least half or even two thirds of all the vehicles on the road are taxis... very old, very dented taxis. Apparently there are long-distance buses for intra-city transportation. The result is predictable: a lot of cars on roads that are usually only single carriageway (except when some cars decide they want to use the other lane, and thus force any cars that want to go against the rush hour traffic to go on the pavement. At least there were some traffic lights in some places, and a nice dual carriageway highway to the airport.

The airport itself was tiny - I only counted 4 boarding gates, and in the departures area there is one area with a few bottles of wine to buy and one cafe which has a table of some dried fruits serving as a shop of some sort. There was nothing else there - and it was quite strange for a capital city. Apparently there is a bigger airport in another city that is on the Coast.

The other thing I didn't see was any tall buildings. Even in the city center there was only a handful of buildings that were more than 5 or 6 floors, and in the suburbs almost nothing more than 3 floors. The (new-ish) conference centre was quite nice, and one wing of it is currently hosting the Parliament whilst a new one is being built. One evening there was some local entertainment, with traditional dancing and music and the like, but unfortunately i can't say i have seen or experienced much of the country.

The capital city is in French speaking Cameroon so I tried to remember my French, though not very successfully. In my mind Cameroon is West Africa, but I am told that it is usually regarded as Central Africa and that my living in East Africa just makes me think anything West of East Africa must be West Africa! On the return flight home we stopped over in Libreville in Gabon, though I won't claim to have been there, from what I saw from the airplane, it is more like a sprawling village than a city.

The Economy and Protests

Though the losing side officially accepted the loss during last year's election, they didn't actually accept it. However rather than complaining too much about that they preferred to to complain about other issues instead. There was a time earlier this year where there were protests twice a week, mostly focused on issues related to the cost of living challenges (of which there may not be any easy solution) and other political related issues. In the end some sort of deal was reached with a joint committee set-up to talk about the political issues.

Without much coming out of those discussions and frequent complaints by both sides, and then a new budget increasing a lot of taxes (and thus worsening the cost of living challenges), last week the protests returned. The Budget was already approved in Parliament, but is now in Court pending resolution of some aspects of it. The majority of Kenyans acknowledge the need for taxes because of government debt but are angry at the poor public services that they get in return along with wastage or corruption. The government doesn't seem to have much to stay about the issue of wastage or corruption (indeed last week the independent body that sets government salaries recommended a generous pay rise even if the President stated something to the effect that top government leaders would not take the pay rise; and the courts decided the government could not hire 50 very highly paid, and arguably unnecessary, people as Assistant Ministers) and just tries to focus the conversation on how it is trying to help through various programs. 

The protests last week were supposed to be more national than usual; and as usual they present an opportunity for unscrupulous people to take advantage of them and commit crimes. The police then try to deal with those people whilst allowing the peaceful protests to continue but they usually struggle with the balance. It always seems that the vehicle carrying the leader of the protests gets attacked, though it is never clear by who! Nairobi tends to be much quieter during the protests with more people working from home and others afraid to go to certain areas for fear of being caught up in the violence. Thankfully our school stays open.

One of the causes last year of the increased cost of living was the drought that affected agricultural production (and other global issues like the war in Ukraine); another has been the weakening exchange rate of the Kenya Shilling which makes imports much more expensive. Some of the causes of the exchange rate rise is out of Kenya's control, but some aspects are related to the large debts that are payable in foreign currency, and unfortunately as the exchange rate weakens the debts and their interest payments increase in a spiral that then further weakens the exchange rate.

The good news is the drought is over and the rains earlier this year were quite good. Kenya is slowly increasing its exports of some high value agricultural products which should generate more foreign currency, and there is some relief from some short-term loans from the IMF or World Bank. But the cost of importing petrol is a major issue and one that could be solved if there was a fast transition to electric vehicles. 

Though there has been some progress this year with some buses going electric and some motorbikes, changes to passenger vehicles will be hard as almost all are imported second-hand vehicles that stay in the market for a long time, and there is not a good charging infrastructure set up yet. Still if progress could be made with buses (that have planned routes making infrastructure easier, and have investment groups behind them that could invest in replacing the buses bearing in mind the savings from not buying petrol) that could be a good start. I don't think many people will be importing second hand EVs soon, but the government could at least consider removing taxes for either new or second-hand EV imports. Who knows, with petrol prices high, the free market might just surprise.

At least on the digital side, there is fast progress with 5G network roll-out (the second operator, Airtel, launched last week following Safaricom's launch last year and the competition is spurring Safaricom on), more and more companies getting into the fixed network space, progress with government digitisation, and still an active software and cloud scene in Kenya.

I am not sure what quick fixes there is to addressing the cost of living and exchange rate challenges, apart from some possible postponement of debt repayments. Maybe Kenya will have to hope for changes in the US economic environment that affects the strength of the dollar, or speed up progress to trade more in other currencies. Longer-term of course improvements in growth rates, exports, and employment will help, if government programs can achieve that, and if government taxes don't stifle growth too much! In the meantime, will the protests continue?

Back in Shenzhen

Shenzhen also didn't seem like it changed much - it had also mostly been finished several years ago, though there are a couple of new subway lines (with a nice underground tunnel connecting the Huawei campus to the subway), and more effort has been made in the various parks and forests to expand footpaths and cycling paths. Shenzhen had even more electric cars than Beijing with so many subsidies from different layers of government, difficulties getting number plates for non-electric cars and Shenzhen being the hometown of BYD, one of the world's top EV makers.

The Huawei campus has changed... a few buildings that were being built last time i was here 7 years ago were of course finished whilst other buildings had been completed knocked down and re-built. Next to our old apartment there are some new pedestrian bridges, an underpass and tighter security gates.

The slightly crazy R&D campus in Dongguan has expanded to be about double the size of before (it is full of different zones that are built in the style of various european cities) with the train line expanding accordingly (to connect the various zones; a round trip apparently takes half an hour). Another campus next door of similar style has also been built. It really is bizarre but a very nice, incredible green, working environment.

We went to visit several of Huawei's exhibition centers when we were there and toured the factory. Last time i saw the smartphone manufacturing line, this time it was part of the mobile base station equipment, and almost entirely automated, with AGVs delivering parts and taking finished products whilst cameras are checking quality throughout the process. Very impressive, as to be expected.

Huawei's service is exceptional - whether in the cafes, the exhibition centers, the minibuses, the hotels, the restaurants or anywhere else. It is a great way to impress people!

Back in Beijing

On Saturday I arrived back in Beijing for the first time in almost 5 years (which was only a day trip), arriving at Beijing's newest and biggest airport (PKX, not PEK, which is the old one for anyone who needs to know) that is far out of town and quite impressive (though also mostly domestic flights so arriving with an international flight was very fast). Arriving one doesn't see much of an airport compared to departing but it looked big!

Flying to China nowadays is very simple with just an online health form (no need for any vaccination records either) and there are no restrictions anywhere in the country any more (though many staff in restaurants or other shops still wear masks either for hygiene reasons or maybe to stop themselves catching COVID during the recent second wave that apparently infected everyone again 6 months after the first wave infected the whole country in a matter of weeks).

Over a few days I did make it around quite a lot of Beijing for various reasons, enjoying running one morning in the Olympic Park and Forest, taking some people sightseeing and seeing some friends where I could. Physically not much has changed from my point of view, and actually many others agreed with me (though other parts of China may have changed more). Beijing had already mostly developed in the 2000s and 2010s. A few more subway lines have come up, but few new buildings or roads (there was not much space for any more roads or buildings and most had already been built). The air was good (which may have been luck, but I am told it generally is quite good and has been for quite a few years).

The shared bikes are still very common (the ones that took off about a decade ago) though using any of the apps to rent them is very hard without a Chinese ID card (which is also needed to use a ticket machine for the subway, though there is a manned desk to sell tickets to foreigners). A very noticeable difference (and I had been forewarned by a friend) is the insane amount of electric cars everywhere, many of which are by companies one has never heard of (though there are a lot of Teslas and BYDs as well). I think I read somewhere that maybe a third of new car sales in China are electric nowadays.

There is a strange feeling coming back to a place that was home for so long and seeing everything still there - places like Jamaica Blue of 85 degrees coffee shops; the same hotels, shopping malls and office buildings. I don't know why I expected differently, but I did. Of course if I had come last year I would have had a different experience with the health code to go in or out of anywhere, frequent COVID testing and the like (in fact most of my friends had barely seen each other for 3 years either).

Security has always been tight in Beijing with police everywhere and lots of cameras and it didn't seem much worse on the surface, though to get close to Tiananmen Square you need to show an ID card and then to actually walk through the Square you need to book online (and it closes at 9pm), which is quite weird when cars and bikes and buses can still drive through whenever they want. 

The Internet is still very closely restricted so there is no news from Western sources, no chatting or social media from Western companies and so on. Kenyan online media is still unblocked though! Internet is very cheap, and of course speeds are amazing, even without a 5G phone. Prices don't seem to have increased much from what I can tell. Taxis, water and even food seems similar, which is a little surprising (in Kenya prices are noticeably higher nowadays than 5 years ago) but maybe should not be suprising.

And the food is still incredible. Xinjiang food, Hai Di Lai hot pot, Beijing Duck.... the service is exceptional too.

The trip was mostly for work so there was not much time to do any sightseeing. However we did try to go to Tiananmen Square, but failed. After getting through a checkpoint that wanted to see ID cards or passports we were then told we need a (free) ticket that we can get online, but that was only possible before 9pm. However, as there are several roads going across the Square, we did just get back on the bus and drive through (cyclists can also easily cycle through) and nothing looked different. We also had a chance to go to the Great Wall for an hour and a half of hiking. We only went 1km along and 1km back, but it was a particularly steep section at Juyong Pass, where there are a small gap in the mountains. The views are nice and there were very few tourists (there were a lot of CCTV cameras though).

A week in Zanzibar

Over Easter the family decided against going to Europe or the Kenyan Coast and do something half way between - going inernational, but not too far, and still somewhere different that is supposed to be interesting. So Zanzibar, a Tanzanian island, it was, and my mum came out to join us us.

We selected a small hotel with just 10 rooms split across 5 cottages with a wonderful pool, nice deck and beach area and amazing sunset views, that was quite centrally located in the island for travelling to different activities. The kitchen was quite flexible and food and drinks reasonable, though it was not a luxurious resort by any means. There was a lot of nice areas and personal touches. 

Unfortunately the hotel itself doesn't organizer's many activities and just points to others who can organizer's activities, which in Zanzibar are quite expensive. So we skipped the horse riding, for example, though Andrea and the kids did do a cycle ride near the spice farms (mum and I did a walk in the forest instead) which went surprisingly well despite the rain shower. Overall we were quite lucky with the weather, despite it being the rainy season. We only had two other half days of rain really, but the kids could still playing in the pool even in the rain.

We spent a half-day in Stone Town twice; seeing the buildings as well as the odd museum. It was a little disappointing. The museums' info were quite limited (at least the museums that are currently open) though did talk about the role of the town in slave markets and slave trade with the middle east. The buildings were mostly quite run down. There were some that had been nicely restored into hotels, residences or shops, and a bunch that had not been - with authentic and imposing doors, upper balconies, and the like. Of course all the buildings were made of stone and the whole place is a maze of small alleyways with small shops and local items for sale.

Being Ramadan, almost no restaurants were open during the daytime, and we only managed to find the odd place that sold ice cream or baked goods. Potentially the hotels in the town would have sold food. Surviving the intense heat without drinking during daylight every day for a month must be tough!

We rented a car for the week so we could easily go to and from the town (which was a half hour drive away) as well as other places. The car was fairly cheap though quite old. We got a puncture once and also had a dodgy connection on the battery to deal with. Overall we saw a lot of the countryside with a few roads in really good condition and the rest frequently with potholes in. There were police around checking speed and security, and the majority of houses looked quite solid brick and quite large.

The East Coast seems to have more of the fancy resorts and we visited there in order to go snorkeling to Mnemba island where we saw a lot of fish and played on the sandbank for a nice half-day trip (though we found out that even fancy resorts stop lunch at 2pm and there is nothing else available outside that time, whilst no other places in the villages were open). The water was crystal clear and very warm. It was a very nice experience.

We decided against seeing the dolphins off the South Coast as the reports all seemed to reveal that it is not a good experience with masses of speedboats chasing dolphins and scaring them. We did drive over to Jozani forest for a walk there seeing the Tanzania red Colobus monkeys, enjoying the very nicely done Mangrove Boardwalk and also a visit to the Zanzibar Butterfly Center who's Tourism income goes to support locals who provide the butterflies.

We also ended up skipping the slave caves (having seen something similar in Kenya) and the spice farms (we've seen elsewhere and the kids weren't keen), spending a fair amount of time just enjoying the weather and the pool. Overall a very nice trip, friendly people, and worth visiting; but somewhat disappointing due to the high cost of various activities and a feeling that a lot more could be done with Stone Town and the local history than has been done so far.

Another Christmas in the UK

Another 2 weeks in the UK has passed. This time much less eventful than 12 months ago when getting COVID disrupted our trip. Now one would not even know such a thing ever existed. There are still a few signs lying around in restaurants that need to be taken down, and there was the odd person that I saw over the two weeks wearing a mask (including some flight crew); but other than that, there was no need to always book everything in advance or even show a vaccination certificate when coming into the UK (Kenya does want to see that though).

Of course there was another inconvenience, which is that of various workers being on strike. We had to change the odd plan or two to meet people who feared they might not get trains back home, but mostly we were driving which was not affected. The weather is also an inconvenience in the Winter in the UK. I missed the snow (Andrea and the kids got some as they arrived earlier than I), but did get enough dry days to go running every other day on average, and took the dog for a walk most days - even going to some new places, which was nice. And with the kids walking as well, without complaining, which was even nicer!

Apart from all the usual family stuff (including spending time with an Uncle who's recovering from some leg issues, and a father with some other leg issues) we took the kids trampolining, ice skating, and to watch some Pantomimes. I had some fun driving some supercars as a present, watching an "immersive experience" of the Peaky Blinders, and failing to escape from an Escape Room. Christmas of course meant presents, chief of which were clothes, games, toys and a computer console. It had been quite a performance buying the gifts in Kenya with multiple trips to markets, including one that was held at the school with items costing no more than a few dollars which the kids could go to and buy things for their parents (who gave them money, but were not at the market).

It is wonderful to spend time with the family, especially as our kids grow up alongside my sister's two kids (though several years behind). We certainly overdid the Amazon buying, the food eating, and even sleeping in some days. But isn't that what the holidays are for?

Now, back to unpacking, cleaning, and enjoying thirty degrees sunshine at lunchtimes and weekends!

Work at the end of 2022 and into 2023

The end of 2022 became quite hectic, even without too many overseas business trips (though there was one planned that was cancelled last minute). Finally the Ministers and Deputy Ministers were selected, vetted and sworn in; and finally Parliament managed to sort out its various positions and Committees. So by November a lot was happening and needed to happen before the end of the year.

We had a few big events that all fell within a couple of weeks, and on the whole went very well, which was a relief. There were also some smaller ones, including a visit to the Western-most Town in Kenya in Busia County, on Lake Victoria opposite Uganda, for the Isambo Carnival. It is always nice to see new places, especially in the countryside and when there are some cultural activities taking place. In this case, aside from watching the boat racing and the hill running, there was also a more typical session of speeches. 

Technology has been a key theme of the new government, with the first public holiday themed around technology and innovation, and a lot of talk in that space, which is great. Another key theme has been the cost of living issues that have affected most of the World, but particularly many developing countries. Kenya may not have been as badly hit as other places, but the cost of some basic commodities, even those produced locally, has gone up, and the high interest rates are affecting the government's finances. The prices of some began to decline towards the end of the year, or at least stop increasing much; this might only be a temporary respite as some predictions are for worse in 2023 with China's economy growing again after it opens up, and the war in Ukraine continuing.

The government has begun to make a lot of personnel changes, as is expected, and as is its right. There have been some reforms especially around the judicial and policing systems. It has also talked a lot about action and is raising expectations, maybe beyond what it can realistically achieve, with the tough fiscal environment and external economic (and environmental, the drought has had a real impact) situation. The highly anticipated fund to support entrepreneurs became a 14-day overdraft facility, which may still be of some use (though there were other similar products available at not so dissimilar interest rates), but is not grants, nor is it significant loans that can be used for business creation. However, amongst the disappointed masses, the government has promised such products will come in the near future.

A concrete plan is being created, building on the original manifesto of the Party that won, so we will have to see what that looks like. The 2023-2024 government budget process is about to begin in earnest which will indicate where the priorities lie and give the new government a chance to really begin to implement their agenda (until now they are operating mostly on a budget put together by the previous government).

All of this does mean a lot of opportunities, a lot of work, and a lot of excitement as we begin 2023.